Latest news with #SequoiaNationalForest
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Friends Left Note on Hiker's Car in Case He Didn't Return from Waterfall. He Was Found Trapped 2 Days Later
Ryan Wardwell wanted to rappel down the Seven Teacups waterfalls alone after his friends turned back NEED TO KNOW A 46-year-old man was rescued by helicopter after he was trapped behind a waterfall for two days in the Sequoia National Forest on Aug. 12 He was treated for minor injuries and dehydration "He didn't know if he was ever going to get out of there," a rescuer said A missing 46-year-old California man was found safe, but dehydrated, after he was trapped for two days behind a raging waterfall in the Sequoia National Forest, authorities said. On Sunday, Aug. 10, Ryan Wardwell planned to rappel the Seven Teacups waterfalls near the North Fork of the Kern River in California, but didn't return to his car by late Sunday night, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. Wardwell had hiked to the top of the falls with four friends, who decided to turn back after seeing the power of the rushing water, California Highway Patrol flight officer paramedic Mike Crane told the San Francisco Chronicle. But Wardwell, who had rappelled the waterfalls four times before, decided to go on his own. After his friends got back to the trailhead, they left a note on his car, telling people nearby to report Wardwell as missing if his vehicle was still there the next day, the paper reported. By Monday, Aug. 11, the sheriff's office received reports that Wardwell was missing and was last seen at the top of the Seven Teacups waterfalls the evening prior. After an extensive search of the area, 'using aircraft equipped with camera and infrared technology,' emergency responders were able to locate the missing man's possible location, but it was too late to rescue him. Officials planned to return 'at first light' the next day when it was safer. On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12, a drone found Wardwell alive behind a large waterfall. The man told deputies that 'he had come off his rappel lines and got trapped behind the waterfall because of the extreme hydraulics of the river," officials said. Wardwell had stationed himself in a dark cave beneath the waterfall, where he huddled, soaking wet, for two days, the Chronicle reported. 'He tried for days to escape, but there was nothing he could do to break through,' Capt. Kevin Kemmerling of the Tulare County Sheriff's Office told the outlet. 'There was no way for him to warm up or dry out in there, so it had to have been miserable.' A member of the rescue team was lowered down into the waterfall from the helicopter, secured Wardwell, before both men were hoisted to safety, authorities said. Officials described it as a 'stunning survival story' and shared footage of the rescuer being carefully lowered to the cave entrance and the extraction of the two men. 'I got the impression that maybe he didn't know if he was ever going to get out of there,' Crane, who operated the hoist and spoke to Wardwell after his rescue, told the Chronicle. Once Wardwell was on a dry landing zone, he received treatment for minor injuries and dehydration. Members of his family were there, waiting for him. The Seven Teacups is a string of pools created by the strong currents of Dry Meadow Creek, according to AllTrails. Hikers are not advised to continue into the pools 'without extensive canyoneering experience and proper equipment,' according to the hiking guide. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. After the death-defying incident, officials urged people to be aware of their experience level and the surrounding environment before venturing into white-water rivers. 'Stay Safe, Stay Smart and Stay Alive,' the sheriff's office said. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Dramatic video shows hiker airlifted to safety after two days trapped behind waterfall
Watch the moment that man is rescued by helicopter after being trapped behind a waterfall in California for two days. Footage shared by the Tulare County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday (13 August) shows a deputy being lowered from the chopper into a crevice behind the cascading waterfall in the Sequoia National Forest. The rescuer returned with Ryan Wardwell, who had embarked on the trail on Sunday (9 August) but was reported missing the following day after he had not returned to his car. Following an extensive search of the area using cameras and infrared technology, Wardwell's location was pinpointed and a rescue team was sent out. Wardwell was treated for only minor injuries and dehydration.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Hiker, 46, suffers dehydration after getting trapped behind enormous roaring waterfall for two days
A hiker from California has been miraculously rescued after being stuck behind a massive waterfall for two days. Ryan Wardwell, 46, of Long Beach, had set out to hike the Seven Teacups Trail in Sequoia National Forest on Sunday morning. Wardwell planned to rappel the waterfalls, using ropes to descend from top to bottom. He was last seen at the top of the waterfalls on Sunday, near the North Fork of the Kern River. The 46-year-old was reported missing the next day when he did not return to his car late on Sunday night. Tulare County Sheriff's Office began an extensive search of the area using aircraft equipped with camera and infrared technology. Using this technology, emergency responders were able to find Wardwell's possible location Monday night, according to a statement from the sheriff's office. Because it was late, a plan was devised to rescue him at first light the next morning. Early on Tuesday, the TCSO Swiftwater-Dive Rescue Team and Search and Rescue teams went to the area and began looking for Wardwell. A drone was used to check behind a massive waterfall and Wardwell was found alive, but unresponsive. He later told deputies that he had come off his rappel lines and became trapped behind the water due to the extreme hydraulics of the river. A California Highway Patrol (CHP) Helicopter H-40 arrived on the scene and an rescue team member was lowered down to hoist Wardwell to safety. The hiker was then flown to a nearby landing zone and checked by medics. He was treated for minor injuries and dehydration before being reunited with his family members on the scene. 'The TCSO Emergency Services Division reminds the public to always be aware of their environment and capabilities, especially when navigating white water rivers,' the sheriff's office said in a statement. Wardwell's close encounter comes after three experienced hikers died by drowning in a pool at the end of the Kern River last August. The drowning was described as a 'freak accident,' the LA Times reported. Search and rescue officials believe a powerful whirlpool formed in the water when a large rock or log got stuck. The American Canyoneering Association rates Seven Teacups as Class 3C, which means it has flowing water with strong currents and requires at least intermediate technical skills.
New York Times
4 days ago
- New York Times
Man Rescued From Behind California Waterfall After 2 Days
A California man who was trapped behind a waterfall for two days in the Sequoia National Forest was rescued early Tuesday, the authorities said. The man, Ryan Wardwell, 46, of Long Beach, Calif., who was found with minor injuries and suffering from dehydration, was located by rescue crews operating a drone near where he had last been spotted, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on social media. He had been seen on Sunday evening at the top of the Seven Teacups waterfalls, near the north fork of the Kern River. Mr. Wardwell told officials that he had planned to rappel the waterfalls but became trapped'because of the extreme hydraulics of the river' the sheriff's office said. Video of the rescue, also shared online by the sheriff's office, shows a California Highway Patrol helicopter hovering over a waterfall as a member of the rescue team descended into an opening in the earth where Mr. Wardwell was found. Rescue teams jumped into action on Monday after Mr. Wardwell was reported missing, the sheriff's office said. Crews used aircraft equipped with camera and infrared technology to identify his possible location, but the rough terrain and late hour forced them to delay the mission. 'A rescue plan was developed to respond at first light the following morning,' the sheriff's office said. Mr. Wardwell was found the next day after a drone was used to check behind a large, cascading waterfall. In its statement, the sheriff's office urged people to 'always be aware of their environment and capabilities, especially when navigating white water rivers.' Sequoia National Forest is in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The popular Seven Teacups offers 'beautiful jumps, rappels, and slides,' according to the Coalition of American Canyoneers, but it can be dangerous. The nonprofit worked with the Forest Service to develop signage warning outdoors enthusiasts about the risks. Rescue, it warns, 'is not immediately available.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Man trapped behind a California waterfall for two days rescued "alive and well," officials say
A man trapped behind a waterfall for more than two days in the Sequoia National Forest was rescued by deputies who rapelled to him from a helicopter, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. In a video the office posted to social media on Wednesday, one deputy is seen being lowered from a helicopter into a nook behind the cascading waterfall on the Seven Teacups Trail to reach 46-year-old Ryan Wardwell of Long Beach. Wardwell embarked on the trail Sunday morning to rappel the waterfalls but was reported missing on Monday. He was last seen at the top of the waterfalls on Sunday evening, near the North Fork of the Kern River. The sheriff's office identified Wardwell's location using cameras and infrared technology attached to aircraft and devised a rescue plan to retrieve him by dawn the next morning. On Tuesday morning, the sheriff's office sent their search and rescue team as well as their swift-water dive team to the location. Using a drone, they found Wardwell behind the waterfall, alive and well, the office said. A helicopter from the California Highway Patrol was sent to the scene, and Wardwell was pulled out of the waterfall. Authorities said he was then flown to a landing zone nearby and treated for minor injuries and dehydration. He reunited with his family, who were also at the landing zone. Wardwell told authorities that he had come off of his rappel lines and got trapped behind the waterfall because of the intense river flow. "The TCSO Emergency Services Division reminds the public to always be aware of their environment and capabilities, especially when navigating white water rivers," the sheriff's office said in the post. The Seven Teacups Trail, about 4 miles long, is known for its continuous, cascading pools that resemble teacups. The trail runs along Dry Meadow Creek, which flows into the Kern River. Hiking blogs describe the trail as challenging and potentially dangerous if unprepared. It can't be completed solely by foot, and hikers need rope and equipment to rappel down the canyon and on their way back up. The American Canyoneering Assn. rates the Seven Teacups as Class 3C, which means it has flowing water with strong currents and requires intermediate technical skills. Last August, three hikers drowned while swimming in a whirlpool that unexpectedly formed at the end of the same trail. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
